Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Vladimir Guerrero are likely to gain induction, but players suspected of PED use and defensive-minded players are a tough sell

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will unveil the results of its annual Hall of Fame election on Wednesday to little surprise. Since more than half of voters have made their ballots public, we can already more or less deduce who will wind up in Cooperstown this summer.

First-time candidates Chipper Jones, the longtime Atlanta Braves third baseman, and Jim Thome, the burly first baseman who blasted 612 home runs in his major-league career, look like locks. Outfielder Vladimir Guerrero will also breeze in after falling...